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Friday, May 23, 2014

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Review by Bob Ignizio

With
X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE
PAST, filmmaker Bryan
Singer reminds us that before Marvel started taking cinematic matters
into their own hands, he had already shown that super hero movies
that treat their source material with respect can be successful with
fanboys, general audiences, and critics alike. The X franchise is
where the modern super hero film truly began, and while the series
lost its way when Singer left to pursue other projects, the situation
for the team of mutant heroes improved considerably with his return
(in the capactiy of producer) for 2011's X-MEN:
FIRST CLASS. That film
was a step in the right direction, and things have only gotten better
now that Singer is back in the director's chair.

The
film's basic premise is drawn from a fan favorite comic book
storyline that flashes forward to a dystopian future where mutants
have been hunted to near extinction by giant robots known as
Sentinels. In order to save the mutant race one of the surviving
X-Men travels back in time to change history. In the original comic
books, it was Kitty Pryde who went back. Here, it's Wolverine aka
Logan (Hugh Jackman), although Kitty (Ellen Page) still has an
important part to play, her powers somehow facilitating the time
travel.

From
there, things deviate even further from the comics, but make perfect
sense in relation to the other films. To avert extinction, Logan must
travel back to 1973 where he will have to get Professor Xavier (James
MacAvoy) to put aside his differences with Magneto (Michael
Fassbender) so the two of them can stop Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence)
from assassinating Sentinel creator Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage).
Not an easy task, especially given that the Professor is essentially
a drug addict, and Magneto is being held prisoner in the Pentagon.
The last of the Professor's students, Hank McCoy aka Beast (Nicholas
Hoult) and a teenage speedster named Peter (Evan Peters) provide some
much needed assistance.

Meanwhile
back in the future, the other X-Men do their best to keep the
Sentinels at bay and protect Logan's body. Aside from Kitty, familiar
faces include Storm (Halle Berry), Iceman (Shawn Ashmore, finally
getting to “ice up” like he does in the comics), Colossus (Daniel
Cudmore), and of course the older versions of Professor X (Patrick
Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellen). They're joined by Blink (Fan
Bingbing), Sunspot (Adan Canto), Bishop (Omar Sy), and Warpath
(Booboo Stewart).

The
future characters get some thrilling action sequences, but little in
the way of character beats. The focus is mostly on what happens in
the past. While this means that a number of characters are given
short shrift, including (yet again) Halle Berry's Storm, it makes for
a much more coherent film that knows the story it wants to tell and
how to use the characters at its disposal to tell it. That said, I do
understand the frustration some fans feel at the way key characters
from the comics have time and again been kicked to the background in
the films.

But
one has to review the movie that is, not the hypothetical movie one
might have wanted. And for what it sets out to be, X-MEN:
DAYS OF FUTURE PAST is
pretty damn good. It has the audience pleasing action of THE
AVENGERS mixed with the
more serious, grown-up thriller elements of CAPTAIN
AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER.
And of course, the usual mutant subtext about the dangers of
prejudice is there as well, although this feels more like a film that
wants to entertain than make the audience think about weighty issues,
albeit one that still goes about its business in a way that doesn't
insult the viewer's intelligence. I know some folks wish the
superhero genre would just die out already, and given the sheer
number of the things I can sympathize a little. When the movie in
question is as good as this one, though, I say keep 'em coming. 4 out
of 4 stars.